Driving-box brass



Sept. s, 1925. 1552;897

W. L. VARNER ET AL DRIVING BOX BRASS Filed Feb. s, 9 3

INVENTOR WL' Varnen AU: Monfee TTORNEY Patented Sept. 8, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

mm L. vmna nnnnnw .1. mourns, or rnar'r .crrr, m 301m B. ems,

' or nmmnenam'amm name-Box muss.

Application filed I'ebrnary 8, 1928. Serial Io. 817,875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM L. VARNER, ANDREW J. Mourns, and JOHN H. Sms, citizens of the United States, and residents,

VARNER of Pratt City, Alabama; Momnn of Pratt Cit Alabama, and Sins of Birmingham, A abama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Driving- Box Brass, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to im rovements in locomotive driving boxes an particularly to replaceable bearing parts known in this art as driving box brasses.

locomotive driving boxes have been provided with separate wedging means adapted to hold the parts of the brass firmly in enga 'ement with the driving box or casing.

One known type of brass is made of a single piece of substantially semi-cylindrical shape havin its lower edge tapered so as to be wedge into engagement with the lips on the driving box. This form of device must be accurately machined to the same angle on both sides in order to ensure a good fit in the driving box. This is a comparatively costly operation and if the tapered s'eat's formed by the lips in the driving box are not at the identical angle with the wedged surfaces of the brass, the latter cannot be positioned to correctly engage the shaft or axle.

Another type of brass heretofore used is constructed of two separate parts having oppositely inclined shoulders or ways formed therein for co-action with the ta pered sides of a separate key which is adapted to expand the two parts of the brass so 4 as to hold the same seated within the driving box. This form of device is more satisfactory than the former one but is ObjBCtIOlb able because in practice the keys frequently break off and hence loosen the brass within the box and the key often works against the hub and results in scoringand otherwise damaging the parts.

Our improved driven box brass contains fewer parts than those heretofore provided and overcomes the objectionable features of brasses heretofore made.

Brasses heretofore supplied for use in v ment with the brass;

Fig. 2 is a plan view partly in section showing clearly the manner in which half of the brass 1s wedged into engagement with the other;

- Fig. 3 is a detail perspective showing the two halves of our improved brass; Fig. 4 is a detail view showing a shim interposed between the opposed wedged faces of the brass;

Fig. 5 is a'detail of a clamp for holding the parts in proper wedged engagement.

Referring to the drawings 10 represents a typical form of locomotive driving box havmg supporting lips 12 which are undercut in the usual manner as at 14 to form seats for the lower faces 16 and 18 of the two halves 20 and 22 of the driving box brass. The inner surfaces 24 and 26 are of cylindrical shape to fit the shaft or axle 28 and the outer surfaces 30 and 32 which are of cylindrical form so as to seat neatly against the surface 34 of the driving box. The halves 20 and 22 collectively form the brass which is indicated as a whole by the numeral 36. The brass 36 is conveniently made by turning up the same in a lathe or other machine too .so that the surfaces 30, 32, 24 and 26 are of true cylindrical formation. The brass is then out along a diagonal line as indicated at 38 thereby forming opposed faces 40 and 42 which are parallel with each other and at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the brass. In other words, the o posed faces of the brass may be said to separated by a cleavage plane which is at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the brass.

As thus constructed it will be apparent that if one member of thebrass is moved relatively to the other within the driving box awedg- 4 ing action will be exerted which will tend to firmly seat the twohalves. of the brass within said driving box.. We preferably form at least one part of the brass, for example the part 20 with an integral shoulder 44 adapted to engage the front face 46 of the driving box so asto prevent the longitudinal movement of this half of the brass with respect to the driving box. The other part 22 of the brass may also have a shoulder 46 which may be utilized to get a purchase on the brass when it is desired to remove the same.

When the parts of the brass are initially assembled they are forced-into position under a great pressure by use-of an hydraulic or other jack and the part 22 moves relatively to the art 20 so that a wedging action between t e two is exerted and the parts are firmly seated within the driving box. At this time the shoulder 44 prevents the inward movement of the part 20 with respect to the driving box 10 as will be understood.

Means are preferably provided for preventing the part 22 from moving relatively outward with respect to the part 20 and to these ends we provide a clamp 50 which is secured to the face of the driving box by means of bolts 52. The clamp 50 is thickest at the'top as shown in Fig. 5 and is shouldered down at 54 to allow for the thickness of the flange 46 formed on the part 22 of the brass.

It is not absolutely essential that the two halves of the brass be formed by cutting a single piece at an angle as above described, but this is an extremely simple and inexpensive way of forming the opposing wedge faces 40 and 42. \Vhen the brass is formed in this way of course a certain amount of metal is removed by the milling cutter or saw used to split the same. In order to compensate for this loss of metal and to preserve the true cylindrical form of the assembled brass it is desirable to insert a thin sheet metal plate or shim which is equal in thickness to the amount of metal re moved by the cutting tool. When the brasses are made by cutting a single piece to form the two halves, we provide a shim 56 as illustrated in Fig. 4, and said shim is secured by suitable pins which ass through holes 58 and enter registerin oles formed for that purpose on one of t e wedge faces of the brass as will be understood.

As the brass wears or becomes loosened from constant pounding in use one member can be moved relatively to the other so as to take up such wear as will be understood and by use of shims of suitable thickness such as shown in Fig. 4. the brasses can be used until they are practically entirely worn away if desired. The brass herein described can be applied to the locomotive driving box without removing the same from its working position. It com rises fewer parts than other brasses heretotore proposed. It is provided with a shoulder or flange as described which prevents longitudinal movement of the same relatively to the driving 7 box. The brass is inexpensive to manufac ture'and it has been demonstrated in actual practice that it performs its function equally as well if not better than brasses formerly constructed.

Though we have described with great particularity the design and construction of the particular brass illustrated, it is to be understood that such modifications and changes as fall within the scope of the appended claims may be made without departing from our invention.

What we claim is:

1. A driving box brass consisting solely of two complementary parts having opposed parallel faces which-are at an angle tothe longitudinal axis of the brass so that one part of the brass can be wedged against the other to secure the brass rigidly within the driving box.

2. A driving box brass consisting solely of two parts separated by a single plane of cleavage which is at an angle to'the longitudinal axis of the brass so that one part can be wedged directly against the other to secure the brass firmly in position and means for preventing the movement of one'part relatively to the driving box.

3. In combination with a driving box, a brass consisting of two complementary parts having opposed parallel faces which are at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the brass so that one part of the brass can be wedged against the other to secure the brass rigidly within the driving box, one of said parts having a. portion engaging the driving box so as to prevent longitudinal movement of said part relatively to the driving box.

4. In combination with a driving box, a brass consisting solely of two complementar parts having opposed parallel faces whic are at an angle to the lon itudinal axis of the brass so that one part 0 the brass can be wedged against the other to secure the brass rigidly within the driving box, one of said parts having an integral flange w ich engages the driving box so as to prevent longitudinal movement of said part relatively to the driving box.

5. In combination with a driving box, a brass consisting of only two complementary parts having opposed arallel faces which are at an angle to the ongitudinal axis of the brass so that one part of the brass can be wedged against the other to secure the brass rigidly within the, driving box, one of said parts having a portion engaging the driving box so as to prevent longitudinal movement of said part relatively to the driving box and means secured tothe driving box and engaging the other part of the brass and adapted to securely hold the two parts 6. A two piece driving box brass comprising complementary halves having opposed of the brass and adapted to compensate for parallel faces which are at an angle to the the metal removed by cutting the brass.

longitudinal axis of the "brass, said parts In witness whereof, we have hereunto 10 bein formed from an inte ral part which signed. our names. 5 has en cut at an angle a a shim of-sub WILLIAM L. VARNER. stantially uniform thickness throughout its ANDREW J. MON FEE.

' length interposed between the opposed faces 1 JOHN H. SIMS. 

